wheeler



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S. S. WHEELER.

ELECTRIC FIRE ENGINE SY$TEM.

No. 312,939. Patented Feb. 24, 1885.

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INVENTOR 2 SheetsShet 2'.

S. S. WHEELER.

ELEGTRIO EIEE ENGINE SYSTEM.

(No Model.)

Patented Feb, 24, 1885.

INVJLNTO R WITNESSES gee, QJYW6 -Q NlTED STATES liarnn'r (Clarice.

SGHUYLER s. WHEELER, on NEW YORK, N. r, nssronon ro oHARLEs A. onEEvER,rRnsrEE, o sAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC FlRE-ENGSNE SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 312,939, dated February24b, 1.885.

Application filed May 29, 1882.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SoHUYLER SWHEELER, V a citizen of the United-States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Electric Fire-Engine System, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of this invention is to supersede the cumbrous and expensiveportablesteanr 1o pumps, commonly called fire-engi1ies,which haveheretofore been used for extinguishing fires by a lighter and moi-eefficient apparatus Constructed to be actuated by an electric currentinstead of by steam-power, and designed to be used in connection with asystem ofidistributing-conductors for conveying the electric currentfrom fixed stations at which the currentis generated by means of steamor other power to the street-hydrants at which the 2Q supply of water isobtained, and which may readily be put in electrical connection with thefire-engine, both the water and the motive power required for pumpingbeing thus derived from the same hydrant.

To this end my invention comprises two general parts: first, an electricfireengine, which consists, mainly, of a frame mounted upon wheelscarrying an electric motor and a suitable pump mechanically connected,soas to be worked by the motor; and, second, apparatus for supplying thefire engines with the re quired electric current, which consists of acentral generating-station furnished with stationary dynamo-electricmachines and with Y 5 5 motive power for producing the electric current,and electrical conductors for transmitting the current to the engines,which branch out in all directions from the generating-station, andextend to the various street-hydrants 4Q at which the supply of water isobtained. These conductors are of suificient capacity to convey thequantity of energy in the form of an electric current required tooperate a number' of engines at once, and are laid along in the vicinityof and connected to each hydrant by abranch circuit, so that all theengines supplied with motive current from the same main conductor areoperated in multiplecircuit, by which method each engineer is enabled toregulate the amount of current sup- (No model.)

plied to his engine without materially affecting the others by throwinginto or out of the branch circuit electrical resistance, and thus tocontrol the power of his engine.

Heretoi'ore the important objection to the large steam fire-engines hasbeen that they could not be made powerful enough to throw a compactstream of water to the tops of high city buildings without being tooheavy to be drawn by two horses. The great advantages to be derived fromthe use of an electric current instead of steam-power for working thepump ofa fire-engine are, that an engine of greater power can be mademuch lighter by the substitution of a light electric motor for the heavy6 5 boiler and engine of a steam fireengine; that such a fire enginewould be much less expensive and less liable to get out of order; thatthere would be no smoke, no noise, nor sparks to set fire toawnings, &c.that each engine would not require a skilled engineer,and sometimes afireman,to operate it, since there would be nothing to do but to turnaswitch; that no time would be lost in getting up steam, as thegeneratingstation would always be kept in readiness to supply electriccurrent immediately, either by having steam up constantly in one or moreof the boilers, or else by means of electrical storage batteries oraccumulators in which energy may be stored and after ward given out inthe form of an electric current. These batteries may -be filled orcharged at regular intervals during the day or week, or during a fire,and whenever a fire breaks out they may serve to supply the neces- 8 5sary electric current until the steam-engines can be got working. I willnot here give a detailed description of the necessary apparatus for theapplication of such storagebatteries to this purpose, as I- proposemaking it, together with other minor devices and improvements, thesubject of another patent.

Another feature of my invention is that the electric currents employedfor electric lighting and power purposes may be utilized in an 9 5emergency for actuating the engines in places where it is not desired toerect a separate plant expressly for the purpose.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of anelectric fire-engine 0011- I00 structed according to my invention. Fig.2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 represents "a vertical section of ahydrant. showing the electrical arrangements combined with the usualhydraulic apparatus, according to my invention. Fig. 4 is a planrepresenting a citydistrict in which my invention is in operation, thearrangement of the main and branch conductors for conveying the electriccurrent to the hydrants being shown.

In Fig. 1, A A represent the iron frame of a fire-engine, supported inthe usual manner, upon wheels, as represented. Upon this frame is fixedthe electric motor B, which may be of any well-known form sufficientlylight to be adapted to the purpose. 0 O are the fieldmagnets of themotor, upon the sides of which are bolted the two metallic heads D D,which form the bearings for the shaft E of the armature of the electricmotor B, this armature not being shown, but being inclosed within thefield-magnets and the pieces D D. The shaft E of the armature isprolonged and connected by a suitable mechanical coupling directly tothe main shaft F of the rotary pump G, which pump is also rigidly fixedto the main frame A of the engine, and which may be of any suitable form.of construction. I have here shown one similar to those employed in thewell-known Silsby fire-engine, whichwould be very well adapted to thispurpose;

and as such rotary pumps are common, it is sufficient to say that itconsists of two intersecting cylinders, H and I, in which work tworotating interlocking pistons the shafts of which F and K are gearedtogether within the casings M and N. The water from the streethydrantenters this pump at the bottom through the feed-pipe O, and is forced bythe rotation of the pistons, which are caused to revolve by the electricmotor B, into the water-chest G and through the fire-hose P, uniformityof pressure being maintained, as usual, by the air-chamber Q, and thequantity of water discharged being regulated by the valve R.

The electric current employed to actuate the motor B is derived from thehydrant (shown in Fig. 3) and conveyed by proper electrical conductors aand b to the bindingposts a and (1, respectively. From the binding-postc the current flows through one of the field-magnet coils O; thence bythe wire e and commutator S through the armature of the motor; thencethrough the wire j'and the other field-magnet coil 0 to the switch T, byturning which switch, so as to connect with the different points 19 p pp, &c., more or less resistance r r? r may be introduced into thecircuit at pleasure and the velocity of the motor thereby controlled.From this switch the current flows through the wire 9 to the commonlyemployed for regulating the power of electric motors. V

I do not confine myself to any particular style of pump G, as anywell-known form of mechanism for pumping may be employed instead of therotary pressure-pump'l have here shown.

The arrangement of the circuits within the hydrant or fire-plug inrelation to the hydraulic apparatus is represented in Fig. 3, in which Uis the cast-iron box containing the vertical pipe V, which connects thenozzle W with the watermain. X, the flow of water through it beingcontrolled by the valve Y, operated by the handle in the usual manner. Iprefer to convey the electric current for operating the engines throughtwo conductors, Z and m, laid within the water-main X, one or both ofwhich may be insulated. The two wires Z and m constitute the direct andreturn conductors of one ofthe main supply circuits, and are connected,respectively, by branch wires 19 and q to the binding-posts r and s,placed within the hydrant, so as to be always protected by the cover 15,except when in use during a fire. It is obvious that when an enginearrives at one of these hydrants it is only necessary to take the endsof the conductingwires a and I), carried by and permanently connected bythe binding-posts c and d of the engine and insert them into thebinding-posts r and s of the hydrant.

Fig. 4 illustrates the general arrangement of distributing-circuits,showing the streets, location of the hydrants, and the centralgencrating-station. A represents the generatingstation, which isfurnished with powerful steam-engines and dynamo-electric machinescapable of developing sufficient power in the form of an electriccurrent (about'four hundred or five hundred horse-power, perhaps) toactuate the maximum number of engines in operation at any one timeduring a fire. This station is identical with the fire headquarters, atwhich all the fire-alarms are received, so

that whenever a fire occurs the engineer in I charge of thegenerating-station is immediately informed of its location, whereupon hestarts up some of the engines and dynamomachines connected therewith,and makes connections with the particular main conductor which suppliesthose hydrants that are in the neighborhood of the fire. Suppose, forexample, that a fire breaks out at the point P. This fact is at onceknown at fire headquarters, and communicated to the station A. Theengineer in charge starts up the usual number of dynamo-machines tosupply power to the fire-engines required in the case of an ordinaryfire, and by means of a suitable switch connects in the main electricalcon ductor vB, by which the electric current is conveyed to thecross-conductors E andF and by them to the street-hydrants G H I J, nearthe fire. If the fire becomes more serious, the engineer in charge ofthe generating-station is signaled to supply more power,

whereupon he starts up more engines and dynamo-machines. The mainconductors B G D E F, &c., (shown in Fig. 4,) are in fact single cablescomposed of the two conductingwiresl and m, (shown in Fig. 3,) one beingthe direct and the other the return conductor, which must of course beinsulated and be sufi iiciently large to transmit the maximum currentever required. In Fig. 3 I have shown these main conductors land mlaidwithin the water-main X. for the purpose of protecting them from injuryand of avoiding the necessity oflaying a special conduit; but it isclear that they may be laid in such conduits, if desired, or maybe'conveyed above ground on poles.

Instead of making the electrical connec tion with the underground mainconductors through the water-hydrants, as wehave shown, separate boxesconnected with the main con" ductors and containing connecting devicesfor making connection to the engines may be erected in the vicinity ofthe hydrant.

In the system of distributing 4 conductors which I have represented inFig. 4, each hydrant G H I J, ,&c., is placed on a branch cir cuit fromthe main conductors E and F, which are branches of the conductor B, sothat all the fire-engines which are supplied from this conductor areoperated in multiple circuit, 7 the result being that the current ateach junction of the different hydrant-connections with the mainconductors splits, part flowing through the engine supplied at thatjunction, and the rest passing on to the next hydrant, where it againsplits, and so on through all the engines connected in multiple circuit.Since the entire current under this arrangement does not have to passthrough each engine, each engine being on a branch circuit, and sincethe whole current is divided among the engines in the inverse ratio oftheir electrical resistances, the power of any one engine can beregulated without producing any very material effect upon the others byaltering its resistance in the way already explained; but in order tocompensate for the small changes which would occur in the strength ofcurrent flowing through the other engines when the power of any one waschanged, an automatic current-regulating device, of which there are manywell-known forms, may be placed at the generating-station, and arrangedto throw more or less current through the main conductor, according asthe combined resistance of the various engines is diminished orincreased. All the other hydrants are con nected with the mainconductors, and the en gines, whenever required in any locality, areoperated in precisely the same manner.

In a small city a single generating-station and system ofconductorswould probably suffice, while very large cities should bedivided into districts furnished with independent gencrating-stationsand systems of distributingconductors.

As the function of the distributing-conductors is simply to convey theelectric current or currents to the fire-engines, it is immaterial, sofar as my invention is concerned, on what general plan or method theseconductors are arranged and connected, provided they serve to supply thenecessary current to the enreduced, and the power can be almostindefinitely increased by the use of electric currents of highelcctro-motive force, no time is lost in getting up steam, and otherimportant advantages already enumerated are obtained.

I am aware that an electric fire-enginethat is, a pump and an electricmotor mechanically connected and mounted upon wheels-is described inLetters Patent to L. G. Wooley, No. 207,377,0f August 27, 1878, andtherefore I do not broadly claim such a construction. The said patentalso shows a rotary electric motor and a rotary pump mounted upon thesame shaft, placed side by side over the rear axle with the shaftextending across the frame 5 but this construction is veryobjectionable. In practice it will be necessary to employ apositivepressure pump with interlocking pistons, such as I have shownand described, in order to obtain the necessary pressure, and such apump,being entirely different in shape from that shown inNVooleyspatent, and also being very light compared with the electric motor, isunadapted to be placed side by side with it. Besides this, the form ofelectric motor desirable to use for this purpose is a different shapefrom that shown by IVooley, requiring, like the pump, more space in thedirection of its shaft, and for this reason having the motor connecteddirect with the pump upon the same shaft, which is very desirable, wouldnecessitate, as WVooley has constructed his engine, making the enginevery Wide and cumbrous, and much heavier on the motor side than on theother. By my construction I am enabled to employ a very narrow carriage,and to place an electric motor of the desired form'between the rearwheels and as close to the rear axle as possible, thus lowering thecenter of gravity and equalizing the weight on both sides, and at thesame time enabling a suitable pump of comparatively little weight to bearranged in front with one of its pistons connected direct or mountedupon an extension of the shaft carrying the armature of the motor, whichis a very desirable arrangement where a small rotary pump is used.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,isv 1 The combination of the frame A, mounted upon four wheels, theelectric motor B, sup- IIO equally distributed between the rear wheels,

and a suitable electric motor is enabled to he used and connected directwith one of the pump-pistons without requiring a wide carriage.

2. The herein-described electric fire-engine system, comprising electrictire-engines, substantially such as described, a system of stationaryelectric conductors for conveying 1110- tive power in the form ofelectric current from a stationary generator to the said fire-engines,and provided with suitable means for forming electrical connections withthe tire-engines at fixed points accessible from the streets, and asystem of water-suppl y pipes constructed water to the saidfire-engines, the said means 25 p for making electrical connection withthe system of conductors being arranged within or in close proximity tothe said hydrants, so that both the water and the electric currentrequired for pumping may be immediately obtained at the same point,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a hydrant or the plug, of electrical conductorselectrically con nected at one end to a system of current-supplyingconductors connected with an electric generator, and terminating at theother end within the said hydrant, and being provided with suitablemeans within the hydrant for connecting and disconnecting at pleasurewires 0 or other conduci ors, substantially as described.

May 25, 1882.

SOHUYLER S. XVHEELER. \Vitnesscs:

CHARLES G. CURTrs, Framers B. CRocKER.

